Method and means for the atomizing or distribution of liquid or semiliquid materials



April 7, 1931. ROTHElM 1,800,156

METHOD AND MEANS FOR THE ATOMIZING OR DISTRIBUTION OF LIQUID 0R SEMILIQUID MATERIALS Filed Sept. 30, 1927 Int 87175!!- JFaMe/m Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ERIK BOTHEIM, OF OSLO, NORWAY METHOD AND MEANS FOR THE ATOMIZING OR DISTRIBUTION OF LIQUID OR SEMI- LIQUID MATERIALS Application filed September 30, 1927, Serial No. 223,143, and in Norway October 8, 1928.

This invention has for its object a method for the atomizing or distribution of'liquid or semiliquid materials as well as means for carrying the method into effect.

The invention also comprises a method of preparing the liquids or materials to be atomized or' distributed as well as the products obtained by the said preparation.

According to the invention the material to be dispensed is enclosed in a pressure resisting vessel together with dimethyl ether under a pressure sufiioient to effect liquefaction of the dimethyl ether by condensation. The substance dimethyl ether (GH OCH is a gas at ordinary temperature. In a liquefied condition it has a boiling point of 24.9 C. (249 C. below zero). Its vapor density is 1.617 and its specific volume in a gaseous condition is 350 times its specific volume in a liquid condition at ordinary atmospheric pressure and room temperature.

When an outlet opening in the container enclosing the material and the condensed dimethyl ether is opened the material will be forced out under the pressure prevailing in the container. By suitably constructing the outlet means it is possible to cause the material to pass out in the form of a solid jet or as a more or less finely subdivided or atomized spray. The pressure medium which is discharged at the same time will at once evaporate. By adding a non-combusti ble volatile substance such as for example carbon 'tetrachlorideit is possible, when desired, to lower the ignition temperature of the resulting vapors.

The invention comprises the use of the described method for atomizing or distributing liquids, semiliquids or solid substances (and '40 solutions thereof) of any kind for example oils, fats, liquid soaps, resins, paraflines,

waxes, dyes, paints, varnishes, lacquers (such as for example cellulose lacquers), rubber, gums, glue, disinfectants, impregnation means, protection means, polishing means,

fertilizers, fire extinguishing means, cosmetic products, organic or inorganic liquids (for example solvents), etc.

If the material to be atomized spread or distributed is an oil (or fat) the invention may for example be carried out in the following manner:

The oil is introduced into a pressure resisting metal bottle and is thereupon supplied under pressure with a measured quantity of condensed dimethyl ether.

Dimethyl ether is an excellent solvent for most of the fatty and mineral oils, fats, resins, waxes, cellulose compounds and other natural and synthetic carbon compounds, solutions of rubber, guttapercha and glue as well as other organic and inorganic solutions and solvents. Its distributing property is greater than that of ethyl ether, because dimethyl ether contains a less number of carbon atoms. As a consequence of its high dissolving power varnishes and lacquers etc. for use together with this substance can be produced by direct dissolution of the individual substance separately without preceding treatments (boiling etc.)

When the oil to which has been added for example 20% dimethyl ether contained in the metal bottle is caused to be discharged through a small orifice in the bottom of the bottle an ideal atomizing or spraying of the contents will result. Dimethyl ether having at +20 C. a superpressure of 4,7-1,0==3,7 atmospheres is instantaneously evaporated after having left the fine orifice and subdivides the dissolved matter. According to the percentage of added dimethyl ether drops or particles from the coarsest to the finest size of the discharged contents are produced.

Thus for example, if a substance of the volume a is supplied with ethyl alcohol-as a carrier for CO -in the volume quantity of a (viz. the alcohol being one third of the entire volume of liquid) then at 3 atmospheres pressure and +20 C. the volume of CO gas dissolved will be only three times the volume of liquid.

As compared with this in the case of the dimethyl ether one third of the volume a of dimethyl ether in a liquid state represents a quantity of gas which is 350: =120 times larger than the volume of a and about 40 times larger than the CO volume referred to above.

lacquers and varnishes are made thinly fluid 11 has been removed or It is to be noted that the volume of methyl thickl ether as a gas is about 350 times as large sprea on surfaces.

as that of the same quantity in a liquid state. Fig. 3 illustrates a modified embodiment The metal bottle (or the bottle or conof a detail. 1

tainer of other suitable material) can suita- In the example illustrated in Fig. 1 a botbly be provided with an inner ascending tle or container 1 constructed of any suitfluid consistency which are to be pipe communicating with a valve having a able material is provided with a valve casing discharging opening (ejector) on the top of 2 with ascending pipe 3, valve 4, pressure the bottle. Theascending pipe has an openknob 5 and ejector 6. The bottom of the ing into the liquid space and it may be also bottle which may for example cons1st of to the gas space above the liquid.. The brass is provided with 'a short pipe 7-to be valve can be opened and closed for a shorter used for filling the bottle under pressure. or longer period by means of a pressure knob. This pipe can be closed by compression and.

The form of the container and the conit may be by soldering when the bottle has struction of the atomizing, spraying or disbeen filled. The valve is kept in place besides tributing means will vary depending upon by the action of the inner pressure also by a the character of the substances to be treated. spring 8. The reference number 9 designates When substances of a thickly fluid consistan elastic diaphragm consisting for example ence are to be handled and have for example of rubber. The valve body has a pointed to be spread on a surface stress 11 not end 10, which can penetrate a staniol disk 11 always be laid on constructing th istribby the first use of the bottle. The lower uting means so as to effect atomizing of the edge of the ressure knob has a recess 12 material. In such cases the distributing fitting over t e ejector 6. Only when the. means or the adjacent parts of the apparatus pressure knob has been turned so as to place can with advantage be so arranged as to the said recess over the ejector the pressure serve at the same time as a spreading device. knob can be operated so as to influence the When the desired method is to be used for valve. In other positions the pressure knob example for eau de Cologne this material will thus lock the valve. The ejector thus obtains the novel property of giving a spray operates not only as sprayin orifice but also which is considerably cooled in relation to as a stop. 13 is an opening om the ascendtlie atmospheric temperature as a conseing pipe 3 to the gas space in the bottle. quence of the expansion of the added con- Instead of filling the container through densed gas. the pipe, the container may of course e Viscous products such as for example filled through the ejector pi e,wl(1ien the disk er orate by the addition of dimethyl ether and obtain In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 a consistency suitable for spraying purposes the capshaped knob is at the inner edge rowithout heating. Cosmetic products such as vided. with an open recess (not shown in for example liquid or solid. brilliantines, which the ejector pipe 6 fits in a certain popomatums, vaselines, creams, toilette liquids sition' of the cap. In the example illustratand the like are in accordance with the presed in Fig. 3 the recess is closed and has such ent method handled in a more practical and a form as to enable fastening of the cap in hygienic manner than at present. Ski-coatthe upper position (closing position) as well ings for example for use on hard snow (conas in the lower (or opening) position. sisting substantially of wood tar and dis- Instead of using a mixture of the masolved rubber) are tough and cumbersome terial with the condensed gas (or gases) the to handle and must be heated or burnt on the condensed gas can also be placed in small ski surface, by means of dimethyl ether these containers which are inserted in or connectedmaterials are brought into thinly fluid conwith the container for the material to be disdition and the dimethyl ether rapidly evapotributed for example in the manner illusrates when the ski coating has been sprea trated in U. S. A. Patent 1,329,831. on the ski surface. A bottle of the form illustrated in Fig. 1

In general the method according to the with an inner volume of 120 cm. and a diaminvention can be used in connection with any eter of about 40 mm. made of 0.5 mm. brass substances (in any state of aggregation) plate will have a much greater strength than which are able to be brought into sprayable what is required. It has been found bytests condition by means of dimethyl ether or that such a bottle bursts only when the inother suitable gas.

Several embodiments of apparatus arranged in accordance with the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an apparatus for the production of spray.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of an apparatus constructed for distributing substances of ner superpressure is 81 atmospheres at+41 C. Dimethyl ether has a superpressure of 6.6 atmospheres so that the safety coefiicient is as 81: 6 x 6. (The normal safety coeflicient for pressure vessels for example autoclaves, steam generators is from 8-10.)

The critical pressure of dimethyl ether is v thus in the mentioned tested brass bottle considerably below the critical pressure of the brass bottle.

In the example illustrated in Fig. 2 no ejector has. been arranged, but the suppl pipe for the material opens in the center 0 a top plate 15 formed as a spreading member. The said plate 15 has rounded edges 16, which can be made use of for spreading ma- {efi'ial in the hollows in ski surfaces and the Claim:

The method of spraying coating compositions comprising selecting a coatin composition in which dimethyl ether is so uble, securing a fine dispersion of the coating composition by dissolving in it the dimethyl ether, constituting the dimethyl ether an expelling agent for the coating composition by confining the solution under such pressure as to maintain the dimethyl ether in condensed state while so confined, and ridding the issuing stream of coating composition of the dimethyl ether at the time of spraying, by permitting its free evaporation adjacent the oint at which it issues from its place of con nement, thereby securing the minute atomization of the coating composition by virtue of its previous state of fine dispersion when in said solution.

In-testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ERIK ROTHEIM. 

